Proof press



F. BARN EY PROOF PRESS April 8, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1947April 8, 1952 BARNEY 2,592,379

PROOF PRESS Filed NOV. 8, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 \NVENTOR W Patented Apr.8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROOF PRESS Freeman Barney, SpringLake, Mich., assignor to The Challenge Machinery Company, Grand Haven,Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November 8, 1947, Serial No784,865

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a proof press which is used in printing.

In the art of printing, before the form is locked in the regularprinting press preparatory to the printing of duplicate sheets, suchform consisting of type, cuts and various printing furniture such asused in making up a form, is placed in a proof press and a proof sheetprinted therefrom. The proof sheet after printing is examined to noteany mistakes which should be corrected, and if such correction isnecessary it is done in the form before the regular run of printingtherewith takes place.

The present invention is directed to a very useful and novel improvementin proof presses for an easier handling of the single sheet which isprinted, avoiding smearing or smudging of the wet ink of the printedcharacters, and with a ready removal of the printed proof sheet in asubstantially perfect condition.

His 2. primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide aproof press wherein the sheet of paper which is to be printed isreleasably connected with the cylinder, around which it wraps as thecylinder is turned, and the type moved horizontally underneath thecylinder to print upon the upper side of the proof sheet. Novel meansare provided for elevating the cylinder so as to lift the printed sheetaround it above the surface of the type when the carriage which carriesthe type is moved back to its initial position which it had beforeprinting. Further, and an important part of the invention, novel andpractical means are provided for the releasable connection of the papersheet to the cylinder, connecting it at one end and drawing the paperaround the cylinder as it is turned and as printing occurs, and keepingit at its other end from coming into contact with the inked type afterit is printed and while it is being removed from the cylinder.

An understanding of the invention and of the novel structure embodyingit, for the attainment of the ends stated, and many others not at thistime specifically enumerated, may be had from reference to the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved proof press of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section therethrough,

Fig. 3'is an enlarged transverse vertical sec- Fig. 1, looking in thedirection indicated.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 3,looking at the'right hand end thereof, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the cylinder, substantially on theplane of line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figuresof the drawings.

In the structure disclosed, a horizontal table I is supported above theupper end of a suitable supporting framework 2 and may be adjusted withrespect to the supporting frame, as indicated in Fig. 2, to level thetable when needed. On the table a horizontal carriage 3, in which theform 4 of type, cuts and the like is carried, is mounted for horizontalreciprocating movements. The carriage 3 at one side is provided with arack 5.

At substantially the middle portion of the carriage and at each sidethereof, vertical posts 6 are connected, extending upwardly. Said postsare apertured between their side edges to provide in each a relativelywide vertical space, in the upper portion of which journal blocks i, onefor each of the posts, are mounted for vertical movement. Projectingears at the lower ends of the journal 1 have each a pivotal connectionwith a head 8 at the upper end of a short shaft 9 to which, at its lowerend, an eccentric housing It is secured, one at each side of themachine. Eccentrics H are within each of the housings Ill. Theeccentrics are at the ends of a horizontal rock shaft l2, which at oneend is provided with a radially extending arm i 3 (Fig. 1), from which avertical bar 14 extends downwardly to a foot pedal l4a pivotally mountedon the frame 2. It is evident that by depressing the pedal Ma the shaft12 is rocked, the eccentrics are turned, and the journal blocks 7elevated short distances.

A hollow elongated shaft 15 passes through said journal blocks '1 and isprovided with a crank it at one end forturning the shaft. A cylinder iiis keyed to the hollow shaft and located between the posts 6 and thejournals 7. The cylinder at one side has a segment removed for thelength of the cylinder between its ends, making an opening I8 (Fig. 5).At this opening and a short distance inwardly from the peripheries ofthe ends of-the cylinder, a horizontal rod i9, parallel to the shaft I5,is secured.

A fixture including two spaced arms 29, an outer horizontal bar 2|connected to or integral with said arms, and an inner horizontal bar 22,is mounted on the shaft IS, the inner ends of the arms 20 havingopenings for the passing of the shaft. Said fixture extends into theopenings l8 at one side, with the outer bar 2| bearing against alongitudinal edge of the cylinder at one side of the opening. Thefixture is securely connected with the cylinder by set screws 23 passingthrough the arms and threading into suitable lugs or bosses therefor atthe inner side of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 5. A plurality of pins24, with relatively large heads at their outer ends, pass through thebars 2| and 22 and through openings therefor in the hollow shaft l5. Theheads 25 at their inner sides are parallel to the outer side of the bar2|. Coiled springs 26, one around each of the pins 24 between the outerbar 2| and washers seated on cotter pins extending through transverseopenings in said pins, serve normally to force said pins radially inwardto bring the inner sides of the heads 25 against the bar 2| or, as it isused in service,

to clamp one end of a sheet of paper between said heads and the bar 2|.

A rod 21 passes through the tubular shaft l5 and is longitudinallymovable therein. At the inner end of each of the pins 24 the rod isgrooved around it, one side of each groove being of an inclined orconical form, as at 28, so that when the rod is moved longitudinally inone direction, all of the pins are moved outwardly against the springs26, thus separating the heads 25 from the bar 2 L The rod 21 extendsbeyond the end of the shaft l5 at the side of the machine opposite thecrank I6, and-has a collar 29 thereon with pins extending from thecollar connecting with a fork or yoke at the upper end of a layer 30,which is pivotally mounted between its ends on a bracket 3| carried bythe adjacent post 6 (Fig. 4). The lower end portion 32 of the lever visformed as a cam, inclined at its inner side.

An arm 33 on the shaft l2, equipped with a roller 34 at its free end,extends outwardly so that the roller rides against the inner inclinedside of the lower end portion 32 of the lever.

Accordingly, when the pedal Me is depressed and shaft I2 rocked, the arm33 moves clockwise (Fig. 4) to swing the lever 39, thereby moving rod 21lengthwise of the shaft l5 and simultaneously elevating all of the heads25 of pins 24 above the upper side of the bar 2|.

A disk 36 is keyed to the hollow or tubular shaft l5 at one end thereofand has a pin 21 extending radially beyond its periphery at one point. Aflat gear 38 is mounted loosely to turn about the axis of the shaft I5and is located between the disk 36 and the adjacent end of the cylinder.The teeth of the gear 38 are in mesh with the rack 5. Two spaced pins 39extend laterally from the gear 38 and are in the path of movement of thepin 31. As an example, referring to Fig. 4, with a cylinder turned inthe direction indicated by the arrow, the cylinder andshaft and the disk36 move in unison, and the pin 3'! will be carried from the upper pin 39through a part of a revolution until it strikes the second pin 39, shownin dotted lines, whereupon the gear 38 will thereafter be turned and thecarriage 3 moved longitudinally underneath the cylinder. Such movementof the type form 4 underneath the cylinder will not take place until thecylinder has moved through approximately 120 degrees of a revolution.

A sheet of paper 4| which is to be printed for the proof sheet, laidupon a table 40 to one side of the upper portion of the cylinder, hasits end clamped between the heads 25 and the bar 2|. The sheet 4| ismoved to bring its end between said heads and bar, the heads having beenlifted by forcing the pedal l4a downwardly. The pedal is then releasedand will return to its upper position. An arm 42 connected with the rockshaft |2 extends downwardly therefrom (Fig. 2) and has one end of a rod43 pivotally connected therewith, the other end of the rod being guidedthrough an opening in a frame bar 44. A coiled compression spring 45around the rod between said bar and the pivoted end yoke which connectsthe rod to the lever 42, is compressed when pedal Me is depressed andserves to lift the pedal, rock the shaft I2 back to its initialposition, and free the rod 21 to return to the position from which ithas been moved, the inner ends of the spring-actuated pins 24 ridingupon the inclined surfaces at 28 to move said rod back to the positionshown in Fig. 3, and bring the heads 25 into clamping engagement againstthe end of the paper inserted thereunder.

With the paper thus held and connected with the cylinder, the crank 26is turned so as to move the cylinder (clockwise in Fig. 5). During thefirst part of the turning of the shaft, or approximately one-third of arevolution of the cylinder, the paper is drawn over the cylinder anddownwardly toward the type at 4 with the gear 38 at rest. But the gearis connected with the disk 36 when the pin 3'! has traversed thedistance between the two pins 39, so that the carriage 3 is movedunderneath the cylinder and the type reaches thepaper at or shortlyafter its clamped end comes into proper position to receive the typeimprints. The cylinder is turned until the paper has received the typeimpressions and may be carried farther until the free end of the papercomes to the upper side of the cylinder where it is accessible forgrasping by the fingers of the operator. Then by depressing the pedal|4a the cylinder is lifted and the clamped end of the paper released forremoval from the cylinder by turning the cylinder backward. Of course,the return of the type and the carriage which carries it to initialposition will be with the cylinder elevated so that no type impressionis made on the return of the carriage and type to such initial position.

The rod l9 may serve as a support for one end of a covering for theouter surface of the cylinder, said covering being connected to the rod,wrapped around the cylinder and clamped at its other end and between aside of the bar 2| and the adjacent edge of the opening l8 through thecylinder.

The construction described is very practical and useful and insures acertainty of production of a clean, unsmudged proof sheet. The machineconstruction is of a sturdy and durable charac ter, with no parts liableto get out of order, and in practice has proven exceptionallysatisfactory.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be consideredcomprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a structure as described, a support, a horizontal hollow shaftmounted for rotation on said support, a cylinder secured to said shaft,said cylinder having a longitudinal opening at a side thereof, a barseemed to the cylinder against an edge of the opening, headed pinsextending radially through the bar and at their inner ends passingthrough said hollow shaft, springs, one on each pin, normally movingsaid pins inwardly, a'rod extending lengthwise of said hollow shafthaving a plurality of grooves around it, one for each pin, into whichgrooves the pins normally extend, one side of each of said grooves beingof a conical form, hearings for the shaft, means for slidably mountingsaid bearings for vertical movement, a rock shaft mounted on the supportbelow said hollow shaft, eccentric connections between said rock shaftand the hollow shaft for raising and lowering said hollow shaft andcylinder on rocking the rock shaft, and means between said rock shaftand rod for simultaneously moving the rod lengthwise to force saidheaded pins outwardly when the shaft is rocked and the cylinder raised.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, said means between the rod androck shaft comprising, a lever pivotally mounted between its ends,connections between one end of the lever and an end of the rod, and anarm secured to and extending radially outward from the rock shaftadjacent the opposite end of the lever, said lever at said opposite endhaving a cam surface for engagement with said rod to thereby move therod longitudinally to lift said pins on rocking said rock shaft.

3. In a structure as described, a support, a hollow cylinder mountedthereon for rotation about its longitudinal axis, a horizontal printingform carriage mounted on said support for longitudinal movement underthe cylinder, clamping means on the cylinder for releasably securing anedge portion of a sheet of paper to the cylinder when said clampingmeans is at an upper position on said cylinder, gearing connectionsbetween the cylinder and carriage for moving the carriage longitudinallyunder the cylinder, and manually operable means for simultaneouslybodily lifting the cylinder and for operating said clamping means forrelease of a paper sheet.

4. In a structure as described, a support, a horizontal hollow shaftmounted for rotation on said support, a cylinder secured to said shafthaving a longitudinal opening at a side thereof, a bar secured to saidcylinder against an edge of the opening, a plurality of spaced papergrippers located lengthwise of and against the outer side of said bar,individual means for mounting, said grippers on the bar extendingtherefrom radially through the hollow shaft, spring means normallymoving said grippers against the outer side of the bar, bearings for theshaft, means for slidably mounting said bearings on the support forvertical movement, operating means mounted on the support below saidhollow shaft, connections between said operating means and the hollowshaft for raising and lowering said hollow shaft and cylinder onoperation of said operating means, and means extending lengthwise of thehollow shaft having means thereon for lifting and releasing saidgrippers, and means between said operating means and said last mentionedmeans for simultaneously operating said last mentioned means to releasesaid grippers simultaneously with the raising of the cylinder.

FREEMAN BARNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 818,338, Barnett Apr. 17, 1906957,373 Potter May 10, 1910 1,508,951 Baker Sept. 16, 1924 1,611,246Sheldon Dec. 21, 1926 1,664,700 Nayer Apr. 3, 1928 1,759,542Christopherson May 20, 1930 1,820,470 Low Aug. 25, 1931

